Happy Friday: Here's a good place to find a date

Mark Manger

Grab a game... and grab a date.

In Best of Denver 2011, we named Common Grounds the Best Coffeehouse for Finding a Date, thanks to its constant crowd of young professionals who mingle over cappuccinos. But because we're big proponents of ditching online dating and blind set-ups every now and then in favor of meeting people the old-fashioned way -- that is to say, face-to-face -- every Friday, we're bringing you Denver spots we think are particularly conducive to meeting available members of the dating pool.

And this week, we think you should head to the Atomic Cowboy to get your flirt on.

We're proponents of finding dates in bars -- so long as it's the right kind of bar. And the low-key Atomic Cowboy has a comfortable, relaxed vibe, a large twenty- and thirty-something crowd and flowing booze -- all the makings of easy social interaction with the cool people who are out for a night of fun without the shenanigans you'll find in LoDo. Plus, if you're looking for an opening, you can always find your way into a game of pool or rousing round of Connect 4, thereby making a new group of friends... and maybe getting some digits in the process. And if you stop by on a Wednesday night, you'll find Team Trivia in full swing, where you might woo the object of your affection with your immense knowledge of useless topics.

No luck there? Mezcal is just across the street, where tequila might help you up your game -- and the Bluebird is half a block a way: Portugal. The Man is playing tonight, which will surely pack a skinny jean-wearing crowd of both sexes. If that's your type, you know exactly where to head after a couple of beers.

More places to find dates:

- Lola

- Adult spelling bees

- Great Divide